Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Reports - Opinions of dissenting Members

During both the 18th and 19th Assemblies, some committee Reports have included dissenting opinions. The Rules don't address dissenting opinions and how they can or should be incorporated into committee Reports. Committee recommends:

Recommendation 4:

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the following be added after Rule 9.4(1):

(1.1) One or more Members of the committee may indicate that they dissent from a particular recommendation or comment.

(1.2) A Member or Members who wish to express the reasons for their dissent may do so in an appendix to the report.

(1.3) The Chair of a committee will establish a reasonable deadline for any dissenting opinions to be shared with committee members before the report is presented to the House.

Committee Review of a Bill - Not Ready to Proceed

The Rules provide that bills reported from a committee shall be received by the Assembly and ordered into Committee of the Whole. This applies even when a committee reports that a bill should not proceed. As a result, where a committee recommends that a bill should not proceed, there is no procedural significance to the Assembly.

If a standing committee reports to the House that a bill "should not proceed", this committee believes the bill's sponsor should be required to move a motion to consider the bill in Committee of the Whole. Committee believes this strikes a balance between the views of a standing committee and the bill sponsor's desire to advance their legislation. Committee recommends:

Recommendation 5

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends the following be added after Rule 8.3(8):

(9) A Bill reported by a Standing or Special committee as "should not proceed" shall require a motion be adopted by the House to consider the bill in Committee of the Whole.

Committee Reports

The existing rules contain a typographical error in Rule 9.4(4). Committee recommends:

Recommendation 6:

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that Rule 9.4 (4) be amended by adding the word "not" after the words "Committee of the Whole shall..."

Petitions

Petitions are a way the public can communicate directly with elected officials. Rule 4.4(8) requires that signatures on a petition be handwritten, or electronic signatures obtained from the Legislative Assembly e-petitions site. However, the e-petition option was removed from the Assembly website as the previous provider ceased operations.

Our territory is vast, and our communities are widespread. Organizing petitions across multiple communities can prove difficult; however, this difficulty can be reduced with the use of electronic petitions.

As written, our Rules prevent the use of e-petitions from websites other than the Assembly's own platform, which is no longer available. To ensure that electronic petitions remain a meaningful way for residents to communicate with this Assembly, committee recommends:

Recommendation 7

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that Rule 4.4 (8) be amended by: deleting the words "the Legislative Assembly e-petitions site" and replacing them with the words "an electronic petition site approved by the Speaker.".

Loss of Quorum

If quorum is lost during a sitting, the Rules require the Speaker to adjourn the Assembly until the next sitting. The Rules do not address whether all remaining business stands over to the next day. Committee recommends the following recommendation:

Recommendation 8

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Rule 2.3(4) be amended by adding "All remaining business shall stand over until the next Sitting day" to the end of the existing rule.

Mr. Speaker, at this point in time, I wish to pass this to the Member for Hay River South. Thank you.